Local radio not welcome at Madison-Steele game

The only negative about the game involves fans that can’t get to a TV hooked up to cable to watch.

The potentially historic game won’t be on any San Antonio radio station because local broadcasters have been kicked out of the press box for this game, but not for the season.

The game, featuring top-ranked running backs (Madison’s Aaron Green and Steele’s Malcolm Brown), will be seen nationwide on the Worldwide Leader with Clay Matvick and Herm Edwards calling the game.

Normally, radio broadcasts produced by Texas Sports Radio Network and San Antonio broadcaster Gary DeLaune would originate from the game site. But the North East Independent School District, the owners of Heroes Stadium that has two radio booths, won’t let them in the press box.

NEISD athletics executive director Jerry Comalander told the Sports Media blog that the size of ESPN’s production personnel means not everyone would fit in the multi-leveled press box, meaning local radio station announcers and their crews got the boot.

“ESPN has exclusive TV rights and their needs are enormous,” Comalander said. “There is no restriction about radio announcers but this week, it’s discouraged.”

Comalander said he hopes for all things game-related will run smoothly with ESPN coming back in the future to show more games if they have a good experience while here for Madison-Steele.

“We want to do it right and meet the expectations that come with an ESPN telecast,” Comalander added. “A lot of work goes into it when you have a situation of this nature.”

Comalander adds “We’ve got 35 or more football games this season (at Heroes Stadium) and we always accommodate radio people. This week there appears to be more at stake and we feel we’re making a wise decision.”

ESPN did not demand total broadcast exclusivity of the game, just the TV rights. The decision about no radio broadcast or webcast was made locally.

UPDATE: H.S. Sports on Radio, Internet & On Demand

Here are a few updates about high school sports and how you can get them

KAML-AM 990 from Kenedy-Karnes City that offers a “Game of the Week” format (featuring teams from Karnes City, Kenedy, Falls City, Poth, Yorktown, Runge and Pettus) does have a web presence. Fans can go to www.UStream.tv for an audio feed of the games scheduled until Nov. 5.

San Marcos Academy, along with Hays, Lehman, San Marcos and Wimberley are providing live game scores at

Friday Night Central.com. Click on the “Scoreboard” link near the top left-hand side of your browser window to access scores.

The duo’s first game in the 10-game series is the Odessa Permian-Smithson Valley game. The game was played Friday (Aug. 27) but will be show on a tape-delayed basis starting next Wednesday (Sept. 1) on TWC’s Texas Channel 888 and San Antonio On Demand Channel 988.

Time Warner Cable has not yet finalized the other nine games. The full schedule should be announced by next week.

High school volleyball is also available on On Demand 988. The final games from the recent North East ISD tournament (the Reagan vs. MacArthur final, the third-place game between Johnson vs. Steele and the consolation final match of Incarnate Word vs. Alamo Heights) were added to the system menu of offerings on Thursday (Aug. 26).